After the declaration of war by Japan, German youths became part of the volunteer corps to Tsingtau under Governor Meyer-Waldeck. They fought bravely in isolation, and against violent assaults from the Japanese troops. The crews of the Austrian cruiser "Kaiserin Elisabeth," together with the German gunboat "Jaguar," made a suicidal explosion on November 2. The beautiful ship, the symbol of friendship, disappeared into the depth of the night sea of Tsingtau.

On November 6, Governor Meyer-Waldeck recognized that the Japanese troops had passed over the line of defense, and surrendered. Negotiations with the Japanese were held during the surrender. A volunteer, Private Ueberschaar, served as the interpreter. Ironically, Lieutenant Emil Scriba became a captive in Japan, the same country where he and his mother were born.

The captives in Tsingtau had been sent to Japan, and were confined to 12 different camps for prisoners of war, i.e. in Tokyo, Shizuoka, Oita, Matsuyama/Ehime-Ken, Marugame/Kagawa-Ken, Tokushima, Kurume/Fukuoka-Ken, Kumamoto, Osaka, Himeji/Hyogo-Ken, Nagoya/Aichi-Ken, and Fukuoka. These 12 places were later integrated into six places, namely in Narashino/Chiba-Ken, Bando/Tokushima-Ken, Kurume, Ninoshima/Hiroshima-Ken, Aonogahara/Hyogo-Ken and Nagoya.

The 125 captives on the gunboat "Jaguar," and Lieutenant Colonel Kuhlo, with 120 men of East Asian Marine Detachment, were at the Shinagawa Station. Here they received a great welcome applause by the citizens of Tokyo. A woman came forth from the crowd and presented a handfull of flowers to every soldier. She returned the act of kindness that had been shown to her by a German married couple. The captives were brought by streetcars to Asakusa-Honganji Temple, and were saluted warmheartedly by Director Torataro Saigo.